June 27 marks one of the most important days in our lives. It will be Milo’s birthday. He will be turning two! TWO! Where has the time gone? It only feels like yesterday we were holding this tiny little baby, and now he is a toddler getting into trouble anywhere he can find it!
Any parent can relate that time goes by too quickly. When we are little we wanted to be a grown up, and now that we are adults we want our youth back. (at least I do!) I am sure every parent wants time to slow down. The first few years kids grow so quick, learn so much and become their own little person right before our eyes. These past two years have flown by, and Milo has developed so much. Now that he is becoming a toddler, things have changed around the house. Here is how things are different and what we have learned:
Who Needs An Alarm Clock Anymore?
Early to bed, early to rise. We are VERY lucky Milo sleeps through the night (please don’t hate us) since he was a baby. Night ritual is bath time, putting pyjamas on, playing hide and seek under the covers, reading books, and finally to bed. Morning time is the BEST. He wakes up giggling and talking to himself. He is the happiest in the mornings and we are happy to wake up super early to such a smiling face! There is no such thing as sleeping in anymore. Even if Milo is asleep in the morning, we still are up at the crack of dawn. Damn you internal clock!!!
An Energy Drink Is Not Required
Raising a child requires energy, and lots of it. Gone are the days of sleeping in, staying up late, and making last minute plans with friends. Somehow, even after the busiest, most tiring days at work, you find the energy to get down on all fours and play and run around. Somehow kids re-energize you, at the same time they suck all the energy out of you. If that makes sense.
I Love This Shirt, Does It Come In A Toddler Size?
Going shopping nowadays can be dangerous. Within the span of two years, Milo has accumulated a wardrobe that rivals any Kardashian. When we go shopping, we immediately head to the kids section and see what we can get for Milo (on sale preferably). I guess it’s time to blow out that wall and build Milo his own walk in closet!
I’ve Planned Dinner All Day For You, But That’s Ok, You Can Eat Rocks And Dirt
Picky, picky, picky. Forget about planning balanced meals. They want to eat what they want, and WHEN they want. You soon realize what works and what doesn’t. Don’t over snack or they won’t be hungry for dinner. Sometimes they aren’t hungry for dinner and we worry why he won’t eat. Sometimes he just wants to eat dirt from the flower bed and that’s fine (it’s totally not fine, but he is pretty fast!) But we soon realized, if he’s hungry he’ll let us know and he will eat. Whatever you are having for dinner, make for them. And he never says no to ice cream!
Happy Baby, Happy Daddies
Routine, schedule, staying occupied. These are the three things we found that have kept Milo happy, and us even happier! Kids need routine. Milo has his morning routine, his after daycare pick up routine and night time routine. This is the same thing every day. It’s constant and familiar. Kids need schedules. We try and keep bedtime and naptime pretty consistent and we have found this works for us. The one that requires the most work is keeping them occupied. Tire them out and you’ll get tired out. When their head hits the pillow at night and they clonk out then you know you have done a great job at this little thing called parenting.
Nobody Puts Baby In The Corner
Except we do (sometimes). The more adventurous he becomes, the more he tests us to see what he can get away with. He gets time outs. Sometimes he puts himself in time a out. Which by the way is hysterical, but he knows for the most part Daddy and Papa mean business when we say, “Go to the corner Milo!” Also don’t let them see you laughing when he is in a time out. It’s kind of adorable to see him standing there and we can’t help but giggle.
Release Your Inner Child
Having a kid brings out the kid in you. Right now we are his best friends, and that means doing everything together. Which by the way is the best thing! We get to play pretend together, play at the park together, play hide and seek together, watch cartoons together, just be silly and have fun together. It’s so important in life to just let loose sometimes and not take everything so serious. Our adult responsibilities will always be there, but our children are only children once, and spend as much time as you can to be a kid again with them.
Since Milo has joined our family, we live each day with so much more love, laughter, patience and appreciation for life. He definitely brings out the best in both of us, and he makes us be better people. We have learned more in these past two years than we could ever imagine. The time has flown by, but these have been the best two years of our lives…so far.
